


Awkward Adoptions Of and From a Dragon

by ChrissyForestCat



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, BAMF Loki (Marvel), BAMF Tony Stark, Everyone but Loki knows he's a Jotun, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), He will eventually be living as tony stark on earth from canon but it's complicated, Hela and Fenrir are their kids eventually, Loki needs to think his decisions through more, M/M, Mage!Loki, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Third Person Limited, Pre-Canon, Telepathic Bond, The fae happen, Tony Stark Has Magic, Tony Stark from Alfheim, Will be more obvious in part 2, accidental adoption, dragon!Tony, lots of magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 06:49:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20560019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrissyForestCat/pseuds/ChrissyForestCat
Summary: Loki finds a dragon, heals her, and is subsequently offered to tie himself to her son. He refuses, but 100 years later he finds himself telepathically bound to a red and gold beast. He's intrigued, but it takes more than just intrigue for a functioning relationship. Also, he's not Aesir.~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~He felt a large shape slam against them, and suddenly the onslaught ended. Looking through, he could see the dragon sitting feet from him, swords and staffs and spears pointed at them. Unfazed by it all, gold enveloped the dragon as he walked closer. He passed through the shields just as the gold faded to reveal a chestnut-haired young man with almost glowing brown eyes with flecks of red. Crimson tail, gold horns, and mixed wings surrounded the man as he casually sauntered up, eyes meeting Loki’s with a smirk.“Strong, quick to act, and attractive? I think I’d like to take you.”





	Awkward Adoptions Of and From a Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY EXCHANGE SILVER! Sorry it took so long aha.
> 
> My prompts had been: "Anything and everything to do with Loki and their kids, demon Tony with summoner Loki, dragon Tony and mage Loki and Genderfluid Loki being a badass." Tried to hit as many of them as I could.
> 
> BUT ENJOY THIS BEAST. It's taken way too long, and there's still more to come, but this is postable! And late as fuck, but hey. Hurricane prep, work, and school, does not make for good chances to finish those last five or so really overly long scenes ahahahaha **sobs**
> 
> Thor is in this, but so on and off I didn't tag him yet. He'll be in part 2 more, so he'll get tagged then. (Also not betaed and minimal editing until I have the time).
> 
> Alternatively titled: TFW your Mama's horns are bigger than your weewee.
> 
> I have so much more to put here, but this is it for now. Enjoy!

Loki would never claim to be the hero to wounded people. Occasionally he’d help an animal, maybe, that he came across, if he didn’t decide that it’d make a good dinner. But he didn’t take in the weak, the scared, the wounded. He didn’t expend magic on them without clear reason. In a battle, he’d be behind Thor, watching for enemies and taking them out from both afar and with a dagger to the throat -- not running to an injured warrior or civilian’s side.

That he did this day, that he cared just this one time… In retrospect, perhaps this is what prompted his belief in fate.

He’d gotten separated from Thor, or at least, that’s what he’d claim. He could get back at any time. But being alone in the wild… it was somewhat intoxicating, given how often he spent tied up in the castle. Not even the first prince, but his duties somehow stacked higher than his to-be-read book pile. In fairness, much of that came from Thor not completing his own. 

And through the rustle of leaves he heard a low whine. Stepping around the trees in his path, he maneuvered to stand in shadows, drawing them tighter against him so that he wouldn’t be visible to the naked eye. He peered around bushes, and couldn’t withhold his slight gasp.

It was the first time he’d laid eyes on a live dragon, after all.

The beast’s keen hearing clearly picked up on him - even if he’d silenced the gasp, he’s sure it could have picked up on him from all his ruckus in walking. And of course, a being with such inherent magical properties could see him through his shadows.

How fitting, for this woman, to immediately see past his disguise.

He stared this creature down, their eyes locked together for up to a minute, perhaps. He raked his eyes over her, catching on her wounded underbelly. He took in the magnificent creature the wound had damaged, and he couldn’t leave. Thor and his friends, and himself, had come to duel a dragon. It seemed Loki would be healing one, instead.

A single step closer earned him a growl the shook the ground beneath him. He paused, considering his options: After it was discovered that dragons were sentient, to a level bordering Asgardians, or at least Elves, and certainly above the Jotun, it became illegal to hunt them for sport. Being said, none of their kind lived on Asgard, and he hadn’t studied them much on his occasional jaunts to Alfheim. He’d had an interest in them, but once he’d mastered what he’d wanted… he’d moved on.

Perhaps that would be enough. It had been a while, however. Might as well be dramatic with it.

He willed his body to loosen, and as his limbs felt looser, longer, he crouched on the ground. Further sinking down to his hands and knees, he opened his mouth and with a wave of magic, let out a growl to match the one of the beast before him as his vocal cords shifted. The transformation was slower than most he could do, this form too bulky to do quickly without decades of training. And with the magic required to do it, it was hardly ever worth it. But talking to a live dragon? His curiosity burned.

He let out a cautious snort, moving to stand beside the (shocked? Confused? impressed?) dragon, and slowly shuffling forward to sniff them, get a scent of some sort.

Female sex, fire-based core, mother if the scent of young dragon on her meant anything. Wound deep enough to require medical attention, most likely magical in origin due to the enchanted weapon used. He pulled back, tilting his snout at her, and huffed out a breath of cold air as he concentrated, matching his magic up to her distressed waves and sending out a message of,  _ “What is your name? Do you need a healer?” _

The dragon stared at him, seeming to search his entire soul before snorting, closing her eyes and adjusting to give him a better view of her wound.  _ “You’re a powerful humanoid, young one.”  _

Loki couldn’t help his slight flinch, telepathic communication had always been discomforting to him. A liar preferred their secrets close to their chest, but telepathy required his mind be open to receive her words.  _ “Yes, well, I have studied for quite some time. As flattered as I am, I’ll ask again: do you require aid?” _

She stared him down, then rolled her shoulders with a loud gust of air,  _ “I can tell you don’t believe me, but no matter. Help would be great, thanks. Damn elves.” _

Ignoring the curiosity that burned him at that, he crouched to the ground, snout almost bumping into the wound. He backed away, taking in the ways it had torn into her flesh.  _ “What did this?”  _ The patterns of tears in her flesh gave an interesting pattern, one he hadn’t seen come from a sword or spear of any type.

_ “A flail. One of the balls happened to catch me as I tried to take off,”  _ he could feel her frustration across their link.  _ “I managed to get my son to let me take them on alone, but he’s going to be so pissed off when he sees I managed to get myself a nearly fatal wound.” _

Loki jerked his head, unable to keep the slight edge of ‘what the fuck did I get myself into,’ from bleeding through,  _ “Fatal?” _

_ “Chill out, kid. I’ll be fine if you can fetch a potion from my cave.”  _

Loki could feel her sending waves of calm through the magical link and couldn’t stop the knee-jerk reaction of shutting it down. He’d never liked having his emotions influenced like that. He turned away from the stares the dragon sent him, not wanting to face the judgment. So what if he didn’t want his emotions altered as others did? He preferred his brain to be his own.

_ “Where is this cave?”  _ he asked, preparing his wings for flight. He hadn’t flown in any form in several months. A shaky flight this would be.

_ “Not far. You should be able to follow my scent.” _

With a nod, he stepped closer to her, getting her scent, trying his best to separate it out from the metallic scent of blood. With a deep sigh, he stepped back, and carefully lifted himself from the ground. After a few minutes of wobbling, he evened out and began his tracking anew.

~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

The loud thud of his landing jolted his whole body. He’d successfully pilfered a handful of what seemed to be healing potions, alongside a small chest that contained potion-making ingredients and tools. (There was no fire starter, so he presumed this was a fire dragon variety.) The most difficult task had been tying the box and similar to himself through magic without risk of it falling. He could not understand how they managed to store things in cases with limbs as large as the dragon possessed.

_ “Oh goodie. You’ve returned.” _

Turning to the creature, whose name he’d still yet to be given, he sent a message of,  _ “How can I give you the potion like this?”  _ He waved his clawed front paw to show what he meant. He also wasn’t sure how she planned to consume it. Did she just… want him to pour it down her throat?

With what sounded suspiciously like a laugh the dragon positioned herself to be sitting further upright, sending sprinkles of blood to fall from her as she did so. He could admire the surety with which she moved, given how much pain she would need to be in. She was quick and methodical, sitting in a position… almost a humanoid would? Loki stared with a questioning tilt to his head, then roared and instinctively put up shields to surround himself as purple magic flashed wildly around her.

An Asgardian woman sat before him, except… not really. She had curved black horns adorning her crown, frail wings pastel wings and a sangria tail. Her clawed hands lightly pressed again her wound, and she gestured him forth.

“Thank you for your help so far, young one. Could you be a doll and bring that here for me?”

Brain still reloading, Loki transformed back into an Asgardian as quick as he could, then hurried to her side, handing her the potion and kit as he went. She immediately opened the flask and took a great number of gulps, enough to leave Loki with his eyebrows in his hair. After watching her relish her drink, he sat down before her and asked, “So what are you, then?”   
  
Her eyes settled on him, her eyes a deep color of wine, and she snorted, “Well, the fuck do you think? An elf? I’m a dragon, young one. What is your name?”

Ignoring her own question, he asked his own again, “Then how do you do this? Shapeshift? That level of magic-” he started, but she laughed.

“Oh, no, sweetie, this isn’t shapeshifting. What you did, which is seriously impressive by the way,  _ that  _ is true shapeshifting. This is just another form of mine, coded into my DNA as any other creature.”

“So an illusion?” he wondered, but she shook her head.

“No, I’m real. I just have two forms. I suppose it is to make us seem more approachable, or perhaps to give us more nimble forms. Either way, it leaves us defenseless, so my kind often avoids it.” She narrowed her eyes at him, clearing daring him to take advantage of the situation. But his mind stayed firmly in the intellectual, and he let his eyes drag over her form. 

She caught his eye and laughed, “You’re a little too adolescent for me, Mister…? What is your name?”

Loki froze. For all the effort he’d gone to for this woman, or rather, for the chance to interact with a dragon, he wasn’t sure about giving her his name. His thoughts bounced and bounced, until finally he pulled out the name. From his last visit to Midgard, there’d been a young man who’d shown interest in him, “Lucas, Erikson. And your name?”

What he hadn’t expected was narrowed eyes and a snarl pulling at her lips, “Do not lie to me, child. I know a Midgardian when I see one. What is your true name? Or I will take my leave without any repayment to you.”

Loki frowned, annoyed to have been caught out on a lie - by a stranger, no less. He considered an Elven name, but shrugged the idea off. If the woman knew midgardians well, then she was well-traveled indeed. It was, aside from Jotunheim and Helheim, the least travelled realm. Deciding he preferred to keep learning from her, he bit his cheek and said, “My name is Loki, 2nd Prince to Asgard. You’d do well to hold your tongue.”

The dragon looked at him appraisingly, then shrugged, “Will you do anything against me for my insolence? Besides, only bonded dragons are demanded to follow hierarchies as a civilian would. I haven’t been bound in several centuries,” her eyes flashed as she raised her head, Loki once again feeling as though she saw too much. “Asgardian prince… One with a desire to  _ learn  _ and with  _ magic _ . Well, you have certainly impressed me.”

Loki blinked. Impressed? That’d he knew magic? Perhaps he could get on with this beast. “If I impressed you so much, would you be willing to give me your name?” 

The appraising look she sent left Loki feeling as if bugs were crawling beneath where he sat. Eventually she sighed, “I go by Seassi these days.” Of course, knowing the name meant nothing to him, she shrugged, “ _ That _ is a Midgardian name, yes. I’ve spent a fuck ton of time looking around there, and after so many years… That is my true name now. Anyway,” she said, waving her hand in a few complex movements until a needle and thread fell out of thin air. Loki caught them, eyes zeroing on her still-open wound. “You mind sewing this up? It’ll heal faster that way, and the less time I stay stuck to the ground the better. My son is bound to get antsy if I don’t get him soon.”

Loki picked up the supplies, looking for and seeing no rag, he called one of his own to him. Running the cloth along the needle, he cast a cleansing spell as he did so, then pulled the thread through the needle and moving to sit over her. “You son?” he asked, hoping to distract her from clawing him as he did this. Why he was… at this point, he wasn’t sure. She was interesting, certainly more interesting than Thor and his gang of buffoons.

“Yes, yeah, my kid. He’s plenty independent enough, but with so many elves attacking lately…” she flinched as he inserted the needle, but otherwise stayed perfectly still. He could admire her for that alone. “I forced him to Midgard for a few days, while I was being chased by a bunch of elves. Would’ve been fine, but they stumbled across some Fae, and then it was pure chaos. I don’t get why the Elves don’t get that we don’t give a shit about some duels. It’s just annoying, and dangerous, and we’re definitely not going to bond with someone who hunts us down as a sport. Ugh.” Her muscles tensed as though she was going to hit the ground, but she stopped herself, clearly aware that she had someone sewing up her skin like a dress.

Listening closely, he decided it was for the best to not mention that he had been here with his brother for that very purpose. Instead, he cleared his throat to ask about something he’d never heard about in his research before. “The elves… they were planning to bond with you?”

She grunted, catching his hand and panting for a moment, seeming to be grounding herself. That’s when Loki remembered how much pain she must be in, and, in a stroke of genius, wondered, “Would you like a numbing agent? I know a cream that has worked on many Asgardians in the past.”   
  
She seemed to think about it for a moment, then sighed and said, “Hand the needle here, you can check if you have the ingredients in my potion kit. If not, then would you mind just continuing? I’d rather get this over with than have you go off in search of ingredients that may not be on this planet.”

Nodding solemnly, the prince moved to look through the kit. It’s contents were much bigger than what the outside seemed capable of carrying, and he looked through a good deal of ingredients. It carried almost everything, but a single ingredient seemed missing. Glancing at the others, he saw a possible substitution for what he needed. With all the ingredients in place, it was only a small matter of casting active magic into it and crushing them together.

As he handed her the concoction, he noticed her eyes boring into him yet again, and sighed. It seemed even this woman, who he’d helped without any prior demanding of recompense, still could not trust him. It irked, even if he was used to it. After letting her apply the cream, he took the thread and slack back from her and continued to work on it, getting lost in the rhythm until suddenly she spoke yet again.

“Bonding used to be a closely guarded secret. Only dragons and dragon friendly communities up in Alfheim’s mountains and along some far coasts knew of it… Until a journalist snuck in and reported on it about six decades ago. In spite of it only working once - on a weak-willed and frail dragon who thought it was better to give themselves up instead of die fighting - some elves have gotten the idea that we’ll bond with them if they just prove themselves or something. It’s… a hassle, since none of them have bothered to learn what that actually will mean for them, or that it’s more than just baring our neck. Hell, most aren’t even mages, or even any innate magic.”    
  
He could see how tired this woman was, how exhausted by stupidity, and that resonated with him. With a sigh, knowing he’d regret offering what he was considering, he asked, “How does a bonding work, then?”    
  
She stared at him for a moment, trying to work out his intentions, then shrugged, “Every pair is different, but most often, there is a ceremony for young adult dragons and up, to choose a person to bond with. Anyone with magic is an option, but most different dragons may be attracted to different varieties. It will bond your magic together, among other things, after all.”

Loki nodded along, then sighed, “There may be something I can do, but-”

“Would you bond with my son?”

Loki froze. Blinked a few times, then laughed, “I’m sorry, what?”

She pulled his hands away from her torso, which now that he noticed, was entirely sewn up. “Well, you’re a prince, of Asgard no less, and a powerful mage. That already makes you a sparkling candidate, but… I have an innate sense about you. And him. You would make a great-”

“Lady Seassi, I must ask you to stop talking. That is not what I was planning to offer,” he said, and could see how that made her shut down, just a touch. He felt no guilt however, that was just… too much. “I have no intention of such a thing. That… I am a being who prefers chaos, you cannot honestly tell me anyone matches a chaos-driven mage. We are the driving force for change often, yes, but that does not make us good for a settled partnership.”

“I believe my son would make a fine partner,” she said, and Loki began to grow annoyed. 

“My answer is no. Are you willing to listen to my second offer, or are you going to prattle on about an impossibility?”

He got the sense he was annoying her in response, but so be it. He got enough offers for arranged marriages as it was - and while this would be much different, it was similar enough. Toss their child onto a person of standing so that they may live comfortably, regardless of if there is any attraction or enjoyment of one’s presence.

While she seemed to be sulking, he moved on, “I was thinking to speak with the King of Alfheim, my maternal uncle. If he could instate a law putting you as protected a protected people, or at least the act of bonding a sacred practice, it would possibly deter some elves from trying.”

The dragon seemed to think on this, before nodding her head. “There is a chance it may work. I can send a bonded-dragon down to discuss the terms. I assume we would be required of in some way to be considered protected citizens. Still, it could work, depending on how willing the king is to work with our kind.” She nodded some more, then sighed, “Of course, that means I owe you double a boon, for helping me and for offering this.”   
  
For a second Loki was surprised - as this was the first time mention of recompense, he’d assumed that he would not be repaid. In spite of the slight, he’d thought it a cultural difference, and had been more interested to learn about her kind, for the sake of shapeshifting if nothing else, then he had been in any reward.

Not to say he would turn her down.

“You may state a request for repayment,” she said, sounding a touch formal. As she said this, she stood to put on clothing that had appeared from nowhere, moving jerkily.

He sat thoughtfully, wondering what he could ask of a dragon, of all creatures. “I am unsure what to request,” he murmured. “Do you have suggestions, or should I make note that you owe me two favors for the future?”

She snorted, “I’d prefer to make it only one undefined favor. How about this?” she asked, holding out her hand to catch a sparkling purple shard. A few moments passed before Loki realized it was a scale of her full form. “Dragons are made of magic. I can imbue this scale with magic, slowly over the course of years. I have already started to do it, since I was intending to give it my son’s chosen mage, if he chooses one, as a gift. I can do two instead, and when you decide to come collect it for whatever purpose you may need a great deal of magic for, you can collect it then. It should give you a boost for as long as magic remains in it.”

The scale sparkled in the light, taunting him, and eventually he shrugged. “That sounds fair in trade. How may I find you?”   
  
“With this,” and she laid a map into his hands. “That shows the locations of multiple dragon-inhabited villages. At least someone, in all those villages, will be capable to locate me. Ask them for help, and you should be able to find me wherever I happen to be.”

With a nod, Loki took the map and stuck it into his pocket space. He stepped back from the woman, watching her carefully put her things together. He cleared his throat, waited for her eyes to meet his, and said, “I shall be in touch with you, Lady Seassi.”   
  
She snorted, flicking her dark hair over her shoulder, “And you too, Prince Loki. Now, off with you. I must retrieve Anthony before he destroys a Midgardian town through restlessness.”

  
  


Perhaps Loki should have paid more attention to that name, as he shifted into a horse for the run back to the inn Thor and he resided in.

~~~...~~~...~~~ **About 100 years later** ~~~...~~~...~~~

The day the King of Alfheim contacted the Asgardian royal family, it had been a while since he’d spent any notable time on Alfheim. 

Once he’d gotten the dragons in contact with one of the advisors and noblemen of the royal family, Loki has taken a step back from the project. It was never something he’d put considerable thought into. Thor had never shown an interest in diplomatic duties, so those fell primarily on his shoulders. So once one duty was handed off to someone else? Fine. Alfheim could sort itself out.

Being said, he’d occasionally try to check in on how it was going. In a surprising twist, the king had seemed more than willing to work with the creatures. He supposed, though, that the dragons were willing to pay taxes, and to open their borders for newcomers… Then they were officially a functioning unit among the realm. It didn’t seem as though they had any sort of kingdom in place too, just governors who ran over separate villages.

Apparently, dragon-run towns make for amazing tourism.

The bonding ceremony of this year was to take place by the castle center, as a demonstration for the people of what it entailed. Due to Loki’s involvement in helping to bring it to light, the King had come to extend a personal invitation to Loki, and the Asgardian family as a whole. Loki had been interested in witnessing one since he’d heard of it, so he’d obviously wanted to go. Then it seemed that Thor had been intrigued by it, and Frigga had been interested and willing for Loki’s sake, and perhaps another reason she had yet to share with him, and… Loki’s not sure why Odin agreed to go, but off they went anyway.

Now, as they made their way to the castle square, Loki walked beside his mother, loosely surrounded by a number of guards. Odin and Thor walked ahead, 4 guards trailing after them. As they approached the square, Frigga leaned down to murmur to him, “I received a dream last night, one that I believe may be answered today.”

Loki gave her a raised eyebrow, “That seems quick, does it not? You would usually have those years in advance, a minimum of a few weeks.”

She nodded, “Yes, it is strange. That is why I’m telling you, as I could sense it has something to do with you, but not what.”

“Ahh,” he hummed, unsure how to respond to it. If it was a danger to him, he would be well-protected with all of the guards, not to mention his family and himself. If it wasn’t that, then there was no real way to prepare for it.

The alighted the stairs leading down into the town square, casually walking down. Everyone waited on royalty, and they were not late besides. In the center, surrounded by seats from all directions, a slightly raised platform loomed over the lowest most seats. Not to say they needed the raised platform at all: the dragons all towered over everything near them, aside from houses.

Eight dragons sat around on the platform, eyes lazily trailing over each person who entered the surrounding area. As attention shifted to the royal family’s entrance for just a moment Loki couldn’t help the sensation of being  _ seen through  _ from sending shivers up his spine. Over the years, he’d finally learned that the feeling came from a dragon’s innate ability to read people they encountered. Some variety of complex telepathic magic. After the hours he’d spent in dragon form, he’d finally been able to experience it, though he was unsure to what extent. For him, he could pick up an individual’s surface thoughts or emotions without actively trying, for as long as he looked at someone with his full focus on him. It would be a useful skill if it didn’t require hours in a sparkling juniper-scaled form that left ice in his trail.

As the center began to fill up, the chairs, then the steps being filled to the brim, Loki could feel the burning stare yet again. He finally looked up to the selection of dragons, ranging from all differing magics and colors. Two blues, a gold, a silver/black, a red/gold, a green, two yellows. He truly had no frame of reference for what colors were common, or what abilities. He couldn’t tell which dragon had been staring, so he turned away, listening to the guards, who had taken a spot nearby, but with enough room for privacy.

Loki drowned out the world around him, for but a moment, when suddenly eight roars simultaneously reverberated around the town. Jerking up in his seat, he looked around, but nothing had happened yet. An elf stepped forward suddenly, clearing her throat and suddenly he voice was amplified through the entire gathering.

“Good morning to all who came today. A special gratitude is extended to the Asgardian Royal family, who traveled to Alfheim for this event,” she paused for applause, a perfectly practiced smile lighting up her face. “I won’t keep you for very long, I am just going to explain what to expect for the mages here.

“Every mage in the crowd is a candidate to be chosen today,” she said, and received a few whines from members of the crowd. With a laugh, she teased, “If you want a dragon, you better study your magic kids. They use magic to instill a telepathic bond, so it’s vital to have it. Either way, if there is any mage in the crowd who does not want to be a candidate, we kindly ask you to leave at this moment. If you stay, you are potentially signing yourself up for a until-death-do-us part commitment, please keep that in mind.”

When no one left, the elf nodded, then spoke again, “Alright, let’s keep this brief. The dragons will sit here and match eyes with each of you. Try to keep your head facing towards them. You might hear a voice in your head, and there’s no need to panic: that’s just their telepathy. When they’ve chosen, they’ll fly down to you and pick you up. Nothing all that terrible. After that, the chosen partners will leave to finish the bonding process, and we’ll start the festivities for them to return to. Sound good?”

At the applause she received, she grinned, then gestured behind herself to the dragons. “Now begin!”

And then all hell broke loose, and Loki’s blood sang with the chaos of it all.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


His eyes had locked onto the - what was he, a noble? Tony hadn’t been listening. No matter, he wanted the element of surprise. Anyone who couldn’t take a little shock wasn’t worth it. He’d make  _ sure, _ no seeing into their souls bullshit. Just a nice, clean, pounce.

He beat his wings and jumped.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


The other dragons swiveled in alarm at the red one’s leap, but Loki watched in amused confusion. It quickly shifted into panic that took the shape of bright green shields that shielded him and his family from the fire spewing out of the dragon’s mouth. He felt a large shape slam against them, and suddenly the onslaught ended. Looking through, he could see the dragon sitting feet from him, swords and staffs and spears pointed at them. Unfazed by it all, gold enveloped the dragon as he walked closer. He passed through the shields just as the gold faded to reveal a chestnut-haired young man with almost glowing brown eyes with flecks of red. Crimson tail, gold horns, and mixed wings surrounded the man as he casually sauntered up, eyes meeting Loki’s with a smirk.

_ “Strong, quick to act, and attractive? I think I’d like to take you.” _

The voice in his head snapped Loki out of his stupor, and he stood up straight to respond, when suddenly Thor was before him, hammer extended in a threat as he screeched, “You would attack the royal family of-”

“Cool it, Hammerhead, I’m not talking to you,” he waved a hand in Thor’s general direction, and suddenly gold wrapped around Thor’s feet, stopping him in his tracks and nearly sending him to the floor.

Loki couldn’t help his chuckle as he eyed the dragon up and down, establishing a telepathic connection as he did so.  _ “That was phenomenally reckless.” _

He received a grin in response,  _ “I’ve been known to be so on occasion.” _

Loki huffed, moving closer to the man before him, even as Frigga came to lay a hand on him. He didn’t face her, just stared the dragon down, noting with interest how he didn’t seem intimidated. Looking into his eyes… he could see intelligence and a burning chaos in this creature. He moved forward more until they were barely an arm’s length from each other. He reached forward, grabbed the dragon’s hand.

And sent an unforgiving shock of magic through him.

The creature shouted, eyes narrowing on him even as he clutched his hand to his chest. “What in Helheim was that for?”   
  
“For attacking me without warning before we’ve even met,” he sniffed, then held his hand out again. The creature seemed wary to give his hand back, partially shifting it to be covered in scales (and Norns Loki wanted to know how he did that), and placing it in Loki’s. With a smirk, Loki said, “I am Loki, Prince of Asgard.”   
  
Tony’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline, “Oh. A prince, huh? Good to meet you, I’m Anthony. Would you like to bond with me?”

With a shrug, Loki smiled, fierce but pleased, “You’re interesting. Why not?”

Eventually the King of Alheim spoke up, sounding strained and nervous, “Prince Loki was not a participant of the ceremony, young Anthony. He was merely here to observe th-”

Anthony’s eyes flashed to him, and he gave a loose bow. “Ah, yes, my King. He’s a mage, isn’t he? Any mage here is ripe for the picking.”

The King seemed to sweat under the attention of everyone, amusing Loki to no end as he watched him attempt to stutter through an explanation as to why Loki was the exception. After a full ten seconds of silence, Loki grew bored and stepped forward, saying, “It is alright. I am willing to participate.” 

With a look back to his parents, who seemed relatively impassive (Odin) and mostly stable (Frigga), he began to walk down the steps towards the stage. Tony sped after him, shifting as he walked until he got to Loki’s side yet again, clumsily connecting their minds to say, not so much in words but a concept, to get on his back.

As Loki climbed on, he realized that his entire life just changed. He couldn’t really be upset about it. Not when seeing the world from this high up would be his new normal.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


“So, do you wanna switch back to your real form for when we sew my scales on?”   
  
Loki blinked, “I’m sorry, for when we what? And this is my true form, lizard.” They were walking to a tent set up to the side.

Tony blinked at him now, then scowled, “If you call me that I’ll come up with something for you, too.”   
  
Loki chuckled dryly, “Go ahead, Anthony. And what was that about sewing scales on me?”

Tony stared at him, trying to parse out if he was lying to him or not, “Well, snowflake,” he started, but all he got was a confused look. With a sinking feeling, he continued, “a few of my scales will be ripped out and placed in you. They’ll act as a link between our magics.” Loki nodded along, sighing as he realized that meant he’d need to have someone  _ sew things onto his body.  _ He supposed he could handle it.

As they approached, Tony could feel the familiar feeling of his mother within the tent. He sighed in relief, as he’d been hoping that his mother would be the one to sew the scales in. The last dragon to have done it at the previous festival had done a botched job, and his mother had been forced to redo it.

“Hey mom, I mated a prince today. What’d you do?”

Seassi turned around in her seat, sniggering at Tony’s comment and leaning over to give him a kiss on the head, “Oh, really? Well, Arvid asked to come to my private chambers tonight, so I guess we’re both getting some to-” she cut off suddenly, her eyes widening as she caught sight of Loki. There was a moment of silence where they both stared at each other, then suddenly Seassi burst into laughter, head thrown back and fully body shaking. And Loki was snickering, and Tony felt completely left out of the joke.

“Okay, what?” he asked, feeling like someone was going to reveal so hidden prank to him, but then his mother calmed down enough to open her mouth, but it was cut off by Loki.   
  
“Oh, please don’t say it,” with an eye-roll.

“I wasn’t, I really wasn’t. What I was going to say was, is this one favor canceled off the list?”   
  
Loki huffed, “How was this a favor to me?”

“I mean, I gave birth to him, so-”

“That is not a favor to  _ me, _ we don’t even know if our joining will be beneficial yet.”

“Well, if it  _ is _ would it count as one?”   
  
Tony felt his sanity slipping, until finally he grabbed his mother’s hands and asked, “How do you two know each other?”   
  
Seassi’s eyes snapped to his face, and she laughed, “Ah, right, I never did tell you who it was. Prince Loki is the one who healed me the day the elves caught me.”

Finally Tony could see at least some of the humor in the situation, and he turned to Loki chuckling, “Seriously?”

Loki sighed, even as he smirked a little at Tony’s amusement, “Yes. She even offered to bind you to me then.”   
  
Tony laughed some more, turning to his mother and repeating, “Seriously?!”

Seassi shrugged, not at all embarrassed, “Well, it seems I was right anyway. Now, how about you come up here and  _ I’ll  _ be the one to sew you up some.”

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

Loki opened his eyes the moment he heard a cautious,  _ “Hello,”  _ tied in with emotions that weren’t his, and thought,  _ “Oh,”  _ in return.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  
  


With the bond in place and Loki with a few magically sewn scales in place, they left again for the festivities. It was a long day by the time Tony was able to sneak away for a chance to speak to his mother. It took him several minutes to set up enough mental shields to keep Loki from being able to hear his thoughts while he spoke to her, but he managed.

When he arrived at her room at the inn he cut straight to the core of it, “He doesn’t know, mom.”   
  
She looked to him sadly, petting his hair as he leaned against her, “I know, sweetheart.”

“He- there wasn’t a single ounce of recognition, no matter how many nicknames or ‘jokes’ I threw out. It’s not just buried deep, it’s just… not there, mom.”

“I know, Anthony. I can’t tell you what to do, but my suggestion would be to speak to his parents. Figure out if there’s a reason,” she sighed. “Not to say I can think of a reason they’d keep it hidden from  _ him _ . But we shouldn’t presume to know their situation.”

Tony eyed his mother, searching her for a reaction to indicate that she was just being diplomatic. She was, but he sighed because he knew she was right. He needed more information before he could act, no matter how much he hated it.

His mother suddenly shoved him and he shouted, glaring up at her as his mental shields slipped and Loki’s concerned,  _ “What happened?”  _ cut across the bond.

_ “Nothing, my mom’s an asshole,”  _ he sent back, and could feel Loki’s amusement even as he shook himself off. “I assume that’s you saying ‘get the fuck back to your new bondmate?’”

“Got it in one, Sweetheart,” she snickered, petting his hair and opening the door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”   
  


“Don’t worry, already got that all off the bucket list.”

  
  
  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


After a month on Alfheim, they’d finally returned to Asgard. Loki’s family had gone back before them, which was a blessing and a curse to Tony. On the one hand, he got to spend a full month together with his new bondmate, which was… intense. They matched well, but they were both people with too many thoughts, too many ideas and considerations. Their shared mental state was an adjustment for both, especially Loki. He didn’t say it, but Tony could get the idea from their shared space: a liar holds his cards close to his chest, and Tony having intricate knowledge into his head… Apparently he hadn’t known what the bond really included beforehand.

But they pulled through, with time spent apart, and with moments that really left them breathless. Flying together… discovering Loki’s female form… All of it had been exhilarating, a whirlwind of confusion and intrigue, of shared nights and companionship.

And then finally, they returned to Asgard. Immediately, Thor had sprung the idea of a tournament on them. Tony figured it was payback for trapping him in hard metal, though he didn’t say it. Loki had argued to let them fight together, which Tony found amusing. He certainly could have taken any challengers on.

Or he thought, until he realized that magic was banned from them. At that, he’d lifted an eyebrow, and wondered to Loki, “They… do realize I am a creature made of magic, yes? As are you? There is no way for us to be without magic.”

Loki had snorted, “I’ve attempted to explain this more than once. Just do not make it obvious you are utilizing it, and you can get by with it. Very few actual mages come to witness these events, so most are none the wiser.” 

Tony thought on that, then shrugged and said, “Well, if we’re fighting together, I doubt they can take us anyway.”   
  
He was right, of course. Even Thor, lightening included, fell to them eventually. Flying left him vulnerable to anything Tony could throw at him. Tony couldn’t deny the pleasure he felt as people cheered their names each time Loki climbed atop him and they took off together. Feeling Loki’s own smug enjoyment made it all the sweeter.

Once Tony had… he’s not even sure, proved himself? Asgardians were weird. Well, after that, Thor seemed to view him more favorably. And then, a feast happened, which was an event and a half. The sheer amount of food was enough to make him vomit on its own.

After being shown to his room (separate from Loki’s, here, which he’d… need to look into. Not that he was entirely sure what their relationship was. A dragon’s bonded… it was more intimate than marriage. Rare as it was, sometimes the bonded  _ did  _ avoid a romantic relationship with their dragon, but… Tony wasn’t sure he would want that. But it was an idea for another time.)

At the start of the second day, Tony stood within the confines of the throne room, facing up to Odin’s impassive gaze with fangs bared. Later that day, he would be inducted as a citizen of Asgard, so before that happened… Before he would call this man  _ Your Majesty, _ he needed to know.

“What is it you wish to know, Anthony Seassison?” He’d called, his wife standing beside him in a show of solidarity. After Tony’s request to silence the room from outside ears, she had been brought too.

Which was perfect, really. He wanted answers from both of them. The entire month on Alfheim, Tony had imagined this conversation over and over, and now that it was finally coming to pass… He realized he didn’t have the patience for games. He established a link with both their minds.

_ “Why doesn’t Loki know he’s a Jotun.” _

Tony could clearly see, no,  _ felt, _ the shock that ran over both of them. Their expressions, twisted with perturb as Tony watched the panic that set in on Frigga, and the cold-hearted determinedness of Odin. He smirked, loving that he’d rendered such powerful people speechless, but otherwise staunchly unentertained. These assholes had explaining to do.

“How do you know of this, child?” Frigga asked, and despite being called a kid, Tony appreciated that they weren’t bothering with more lies. No denial. It stung, though: why lie to Loki and not  _ him? _

Tony growled, enjoying the angered narrowing of Odin’s eyes, even if that could be dangerous for Tony. He wanted this old, power-stricken man to feel disquieted, to feel anxiety, to feel what he did to other creatures of the realms. Eventually, Tony scoffed internally, flicked his tail, and decided this little bit of information could work as a bit of a scare tactic.

_ “I can see into people’s minds,” _ he explained, pushing his telepathy just a touch deeper into theirs, getting their surface thoughts, up until the realized what happened and shut him out. He snorted,  _ “All of dragonkind shares this power. Every time I look upon a person, I get a basis of them… And, when we bonded, we shared our magics. He has innate powers over ice. Three creatures have those powers: Ice dragons, ice-based fae, and Frost Giants. Deduction was not difficult. What I wish to know, All-Parents, is why Loki doesn’t know what he is, and lives in a kingdom rampantly racist against his kind. And,”  _ he paused for effect,  _ “why I should not tell him this moment.” _

Odin face finally resembled something more than just impassiveness, aggregation lining his features, “I could kill you where you stand, dragon.”

Tony couldn’t help himself, he laughed, even as fear niggled it’s way down his spine,  _ “Of course you could, your highness. But you see, I am bound to your son. If you killed me…”  _ he flashed his teeth,  _ “Loki would receive all of my memories. So, doing so would only exacerbate your problem. Answer me.” _

Odin’s eyebrows raised, “Then I can order you as your king, and you would be exiled for disobeying a direct order.”

Tony waved his foreleg as if to toss the idea away,  _ “I am not your subject as of right now. Not to mention that the bond is still active across realms, just more difficult to access.” _

Frigga’s body was laced with tension, and Tony couldn’t help but pity her a touch. Clearly this is not a comfortable topic for anyone involved, but it stood to pass that it needed to  _ be  _ discussed. Odin’s face gave nothing, but his white-knuckled grip showed his true thoughts on the matter as much as anything.

With great effort, he seemed to get his mouth to move, “He was abandoned as a child in Jotunheim. I figured it would be best to save his life, while also collecting a… potential boon to my empire while doing so.”

Tony tapped his claws against the ground, clearly not pleased with the vagueness of the story,  _ “So what is your plan?” _

“That does not concern you, child.” Odin answered, and Tony sighed, then shifted back into his partial-humanoid form.

“Yes, it does,” he insisted. “Loki and I are tied together. Whatever plans you have for him, I would inherently be involved with.”

Finally, Frigga stepped forward, “He intends to put him as the rightful King of Jotunheim, once he is ready.”   
  
This sent Tony’s mind whirling, mostly along the path about that phrase, ‘the rightful king.” So, Loki was a prince of Jotunheim, was he? But raised as second prince of the aesir… For fuck’s sake, what a disaster. And there was no way Tony was abiding this to continue.

“Well, thanks for the info, but you haven’t given me a reason to  _ not  _ tell him, so I guess I’m just going to go now. Thanks-”

_ Crack. _

Golden cords tightened around his limbs, holding them close to his body. Tony’s nostrils flared with fire, immediately struggling even as Frigga walked closer to him. He was shocked, then, to see it was Frigga who had cast this magic. Odin had stood, but that was the only reaction to the situation he’d shown. Frigga’s hands burned bright with magic as she strode to Tony’s side, taking his face in her hands.

Her long curls hung around her face as her lip trembled, and she murmured quietly, “Please do not force our hand, child.”

Tony knew he could shapeshift into his true form - he could feel the bonds holding back magical shapeshifting, but his was not magical in nature, only biological. He could take them by surprise, burn this place to the ground. But he knew this would give them no benefit, so he sat in his bonds, waiting for her to elaborate.

“I-,” she paused, steeling herself, “I have wished to tell him for some time. We will do so, sweet child. I can promise you that, but-”

“Then make me an oath,” he bit out, his eyes reflecting back the anger he felt against her. “Give me an oath, that before you enact any plan for or against Jotunheim, you will  _ tell your son what he is _ . Do you understand that I am not to keep secrets from him? We share a mind, secrets are nigh impossible.”

He could hear Odin quietly say, “Then you made a bad choice in mate,” and Tony let his snarl fill the room.

“I have made my choice, and I do not regret it. Promise me, now, Your Majesty, that you will tell him. I don’t give a shit what else you do, but you will tell him before he finds out on his own. If he does, then remember that I have told you that he will hate you for all his days,” he ground out, sadistically enjoying how helpless the concept made this woman.

Finally, Odin walked down the steps, staring him down, and then declaring, “I will give you my oath, but you must give yours to allow us to be the ones to tell him.”

Tony glared him down, then scoffed and said, “I will give my oath to wait at least 10 decades before I will speak of it.”

Frigga, face still pale, laced her trembling fingers together, and nodded, “I give my oath.”   
  
Tony and Odin stared one another down, daring each other to be the first to speak. After several minutes, Tony sighed, and said, “So long as you make your oath as well, then I swear to remain silent for 100 years.”

Silence, and then, “I give my oath to tell him,” he said.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

He could tell Anthony had been waiting for him for several hours by the time he returned.

After 5 decades of fighting together, sharing a head, a bed, and a life, Loki could read Anthony well. Better than he ever could his past lovers, even though Anthony and him were not lovers. (They shared a bed because Anthony grew lonely. It was normal, he said.)

Initially, Anthony has said he was to be in his cave for the night. This was their compromise for needing space apart, and for Anthony to spend time in his true form. They’d built a small living space in a cave for him, and for Loki if he wished to join. Loki had been working on this assumption, as Anthony had never given any indication that he’d changed plans.

It did, of course, make it sort of awkward for Loki to appear in his room then, soaked in blood.

His eyes, brown and red muddled together in the low-light, took in the sight of the red covering Loki, and he growled. Alarmed, Loki took a step back from where he’d been moving in to pat him on the shoulder as he passed. They’d given affection many a times while covered in the blood of their assailants or recent kill. What had gotten into him?

“So, why’d you kill him? What’d he do to you?” Anthony asked, the anger clear in his face even as he raked his eyes over him for injuries.

Loki angled his eyes to look at him, even as he magically removed all the blood from his clothing and floor. “What?”

“The man you murdered tonight. What was his crime?”

Loki blinked at him, “He’d been causing arguments in court, undermining Odin’s authority and demanding taxes be revised. He’d wanted less taxed on his business, and-” 

“So you murdered him!” Anthony screeched, and Loki ran forward, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Quiet, you foolish lizard! These are matters of the court, not for the entire realm to hear!”

Anthony’s eyes blazed, “Your quarters are silenced, and I casted extra silencing spells. No way anyone would fucking hear us. So tell me, why was he murdered? What did he do that made it so fucking worthwhile to leave 3 kids without their dad, huh?”   
  
Loki breathed in a gasp, “Anthony, what are you on about? He was childless, he had never-”   
  
“Really, Loki?” Anthony spat, “You’re question my ability to  _ know  _ these things about people? They were illegitimate, of course they had no records as being his. But they lived under his roof. You are lucky you weren’t fucking caught with your dagger up his throat by one of them! And you know that people aren’t always what they seem, so why didn’t you  _ look into this? _ ”   
  
Loki’s eyes burned, “I am aware you dislike Odin, but I cannot ignore orders from him, as his subject.”

Nostrils flashing with fire, Anthony took several steps closer, “And you couldn’t discuss it with me? I am not afraid to tell Odin where he can stick his orders, just as you aren’t. You just didn’t care! I know you get enjoyment out of the  _ hunt _ for these things, out of planning it all out. I know you do, because I can see inside and feel your emotions AS YOU DO IT!”

Loki moved closer to Anthony, enjoying the hot wash of his flame-broiled breath over his face as he said, cold-as-ice, “You are not me, Anthony. You are already in my head, what do you wish? For you to become my very soul? To be me? I will not discuss political confidential information with you just because it makes you feel important!”

Anthony’s eyes, still muddled but showing… Loki couldn’t tell, the bond was fluctuating their aggression back and forth to each other, gathering up their emotions and twisting them all together. The only emotion Loki could find in the mess was Anthony’s disgust, but he couldn’t tell at what the disgust was meant for.

“All I want, Loki,” Anthony murmured, “is a little bit of honesty. Don’t tell me you’re going to get your dick wet somewhere and then murder a father. I want to know you, not be you.”

By this point, Loki could only feel exasperated, “You know me better than any other! Than any lover I take, than any friend I could make, than any person should even know someone. I am more honest to you than any other, so what would it take for you to drop that I have duties you cannot be involved in.”

With a snarl, Anthony pushed back, pacing the room, before finally turning to face him again, “Perhaps I misjudged us. I thought us compatible, I thought you wanted the companionship and the magic boost and-”

Loki laughed, bitterness running over his tongue, “I already have a magic boost waiting for me with your mother. Why would I need you for that?”

Loki could feel it, how he went too far with that. A part of him knew he would regret this, within minutes he would, because Anthony was important. He was comfort and a place to reside when everyone distrusted him; he was laughter and pranks when Thor has pushed his buttons too far, he was help when he’d gotten tangled up in too much all at once. He wasn’t everything, but he was so much of the good.

So of course, Loki knew that he would regret it, but first, he would let this come to pass. He would allow the hurt to run through him, as Tony shifted where he stood, gold wings flaring behind him as he stepped close to the window, and threw out one final sentence,  _ “Well, I’d thought I could accept you, the good and the bad, but I guess you’re really just too cruel to try. You know where to find me.” _

The world exploded.

~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


Loki hadn’t known where to go, afterward. His room was a disaster after he’d let loose an explosion of magic that tore through everything not enchanted against it. Within moments, he’d made up his mind where to go.

Alfheim.

He brought very little, knowing most of what he needed to be in his pocket dimension. Slipping through the paths between worlds, he’d arrived in the castle gardens within moments. From there, it was quick work to pull out the maps Seassi had given him so many decades ago. After studying it, with but a thought, he was in his dragon form, and took to the skies, flying in the direction of the largest city labeled on the map.

He landed quietly, taking in his surroundings with a distracted eye. His eyes lingered on a clearly bonded pair, analyzing the unquestioned affection in their eyes, as the elven woman leaned in to kiss her partner on the lips. Eyes dragging away from the display, he eyed each building, eventually finding one that his All-Speak roughly translated to ‘library.’

With a murmur, he cast a small invisibility spell. It would likely not hold up to most mages, but he wanted to keep the gossip to a minimum, and at least most tourists would be none the wiser. He moved quietly until he stood before the building, quietly undoing the spell and pushing inside.

Only the librarian stood by a stack of books being returned to their place, so Loki easily moved around her and began searching for books that focused on the concept of bonding and mating. He figured the most documented knowledge on it would be in a city run by them, so he’d come here.

It was time he learned just what he had agreed to, 50 years ago.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


Several hours later… Loki sat down his current book, rubbing his eyes and slumping. There was… so much, so much he hadn’t ever considered when he’d been taken in by the bold attitude and crimson-flecked eyes. Loki prided himself on thinking through a number of his decisions… Why hadn’t he thought  _ this _ particular one through?

Obviously, mind-sharing and magic-sharing. He’d been practicing using metals-based magic, and creation magic, since they’d bound. He could summon up thousands worth of unprocessed gold and silver from the ground now, and his conjuring had become significantly better. Anthony still could do much more than him, but he’d never been interested in standing over a fire and carefully crafting an enchanted sword the way Anthony loved to.

Thinking of it, he brought out the gift Anthony had given him for their 50th anniversary, a set of daggers that tracked… something, he hadn’t fully understood it. They somehow tracked a creature, so that even if Loki couldn’t see his opponent, they would find them and subdue them. The enchantment had taken him years, Loki knew, and he couldn’t help the way he started to trace small carvings into the wood of the table he sat by.

“Sir, I am going to have to ask you to stop damaging the library’s property.”

He didn’t startle, but he sat down the dagger with a sigh. “I can repay you for the repairs.” 

“No need, my dragon’s a carpenter. But, do you care to talk? It’s boring here anyway.”

Loki’s eyebrows rose at her, “A person who enjoys conversing working in a library? That seems… counter-intuitive.”

The girl gave a sarcastic shrug, saying, “It’s good for studying. But I’m not studying right now, so how about it?”   
  
Loki eyes the girl, then turned away, “I believe I would do better to think on this alone.” He could feel her eyes on him still, even as he picked up his book to continue his research. He stared, fruitlessly looking through the pages for something to tell him that his assumption had been wrong, when he was suddenly interrupted.

“Are you looking to be bound?” The librarian asked, examining the book in his head, and he sighed. 

“I already am,” he responded, flipping back to the content table and looking again for something to give him more information.

“Ahh,” she said, then Loki felt her move around him. She came back with a book and gave it to him. “My dragon and I read that together when we first bonded.”

Loki turned to face her, more interested this time, “Yes?”

She nodded, “Yep. It is detailed, pages upon pages of examples of what it was like, for different pairs. Things to expect. I assume that’s why you’re here?”

Curious, he tilted his head, “How would you know that?”

“Because no bonded person would go to another realm just to research dragon bonds without their dragon, your Highness,” she curtsied, and Loki sighed. The one time remaining unrecognized would have been preferable.

“Thank you for your service,” he said, standing to leave, but she quickly picked the book back up and gave it to him. 

“You can take it. I’m pretty sure the city won’t mind that I gave it away to the prince of Asgard,” she explained, then stood back. With a formal tongue, she asked, “Will that be all, your highness?”

It was with sudden clarity that Loki remembered how he could get to Seassi, to talk to her. They weren’t close, but she was probably the only person he could get an answer from about this. And… if need be, he could get the object to fix it all from her.

“Do you know the way to Seassi’s home?”

~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


Apparently,  Seassi had become important after Loki had helped bring attention to the community. She hadn’t been the person he’d worked with, but she became active in the overall community, so nearly everyone knew where she lived. And Anthony being the first bound to an Asgardian had only sparked her fame more. 

So, after this debriefing, the girl quickly closed down the shop, once again citing the excuse that they wouldn’t be missed since it was  _ Loki  _ who’d been requesting, which he couldn’t help but feel smug about. It wasn’t often he was immediately recognized, without his armor or any official status, on planets other than Asgard, but it seems most of the dragon community here did. He hadn’t realized how much the change he’d helped evoke had really… helped, he supposed. 

The librarian, who’s name was Eira, had brought him there with minimal chatter, after he’d snapped at her once. He didn’t care much, because he was in a rush, and once they’d arrived, he thanked her and waved her off. She hesitated for a moment, but didn’t seem willing to counteract his orders.

Then he was alone, and… contemplating his decisions in life, really, but he was determined to ignore that. If Seassi could fix it… Then it’d be fine.

With that in mind, he knocked on the door but received no answer. He knocked again, and another time, before huffing and deciding, ‘Her son literally sleeps in my bed, I can come inside.’

Two steps in, and a blast of magic tossed him to the side.

He jumped to his feet, eyes trailing carefully over the room as he brought up green shields. He hadn’t thought to consider that perhaps Seassi had defensive magic in place, but a quick scanning revealed no spells hidden in walls or beneath furniture. He did, however, sense two beings with magic in the corner of the room, and so he set his small travel bag down, and then cast an illusion of himself as he crouched down to shift into the form of a snake.

“Who trespasses here,” his illusion declared, as he slithered silently towards the small figures. No response was received, but his tongue smelled the sweat of a humanoid and the fur of a wolf. He slithered silently, careful to not knock into furniture on his way to the corner of the hut, and just as he bound the corner, sharp teeth tried to close down on his body. Within moments he stood again as himself, towering over the two creatures with hands glowing green as he got a good look at his assailants.

His tiny, quivering in fear but glaring defiantly, assailants.

All the fight drained out of him, as he took in this small child and her growling wolf companion (which, what?). The wolf, small enough to still be a pup, stood growling in front of the girl, whose hands were coated in a dark, forest green magic. Neither showed signs of backing down, in spite of Loki’s looming figure. He sighed, taking a step back, and asked, “Do you have permission to be here?”

Waiting for an answer, he observed their appearance. The girl had past-shoulder length black hair, a lanky pre-pubescent frame, and somewhat unsettling reddish-brown eyes. The wolf had the same reddish-brown eyes, but his coat had a salt and pepper shades, though more pepper than salt.

He saw the two exchange a glace, which niggled at his curiosity. So the wolf could understand him? Perhaps he was a construct from the young girl. It wasn’t unheard of for a child proficient in magic to turn something imaginary real, if they hadn’t received instruction and showed promise in creation magic. No matter what, he could see they came to an agreement and the girl turned to him and said, in Elvish, “Yes, we are guests.”

Loki raised an eyebrow at them, sensing the obvious lie, and followed up with, “So you can tell me the name of the woman who’s home you’re residing in?”

The kids frowned, but the little girl, in her tiny voice, managed to say, “Runa.” Loki could admire the confidence with which she said it, but sadly a random, common Elven name would not suffice in this situation. 

He sank down next to them, still aware of an attack as these kids were obviously more well-trained than most children their age. Not to say he knew how old they were, but that they appeared to be around an Asgardian 300 he could say. Regardless, he would see why they were here and send them on their way.

“Her name is Seassi, a Midgardian name, so that question was impossible for you to answer unless you knew. You have mettle for attempting to lie to a Prince’s face as you just did, child.” He smirked, enjoying the wolf’s anxious pawing, but disappointed in the reaction by the little girl, who simply starred with masked confusion at his face.

“You’re not Prince here,” she said, then clarified, “Of Alfheim. I’ve seen him.”

“No,” Loki allowed, “Not of Alfheim. I am a Prince of Asgard.”

On anyone else, the distrust this child had in that statement would have angered him (how was it so easy to believe Thor was one but not him?). But on young children - which Loki would not claim to enjoy time with - even he softened at the mistakes of children. There was no parent here to point at him and say, “Do not offend him, as he could kill you for less.” Only a small child and her wolf, which he addressed next.

“Who’s wolf is this? Very few have tamed such creatures here,” he said, holding his hand out for the wolf to sniff. It didn’t react to him, so he pulled his hand back, scowling slightly at it.

“He’s not a wolf, he’s my younger brother. He just… show him what you do, Fen,” she said, and Loki watched, awed and impressed as this young pup shifted slowly into the shape of a young elf, shaking his wild hair out. His face seemed more friendly than that of the girl, but he still eyed Loki with distrust. Loki tapped his fingers against the ground, affected despite himself. The boy had the same eyes, but his hair looked like it’d been ducked in white pigment, almost none of the black to be seen.

“Ah, so you’re a shapeshifter? Rare, for a creature your age,” he didn’t say he himself was one, but they had seen it firsthand, so he was aware they knew. He faced the girl, “You also had promise magically. Tell me why you are here alone, and your names. You should not think of this house as a permanent residence.” Which speaking of, Seassi was going to find this situation hilarious later.

Once again, this child did not seem very willing to give more information about herself, but looked away from his eyes and said, quietly, “My name is Hel, and he’s Fenrir. We were traveling with our parents when they told us to stay by the camp, but it has been over 3 cycles, and our food ran out. We’re here because we needed food.”

Loki took this in with a grimace. So, parents disappeared in the woods, not a great sign. Perhaps they left them on purpose to be rid of them. A name like Hel… That speaks of a family wanting to doom a child to death, being named after the realm of the dead. More likely something had happened as this forest was rife with magical beings. Best guess, they were killed or injured. 

His eyes trailed around the room, and eventually, he shrugged mentally. A distraction could help him while he awaited Seassi, and not even his cold heart could leave two children alone, no matter what Anthony believed. In fact, this would prove Anthony more wrong than anything else would, caring for the children of (presumably) dead parents. And returning to Asgard wasn’t appealing right now anyway. If they turned out to be a trap in some way, he could defend himself against them.

Standing with no warning caused the two occupants to startle, the boy disjointedly straightening his now bipedal legs. On instinct the Prince caught him, straightening him until he was at full height. Fenrir smiled at him, cautious but less on edge in this form apparently, and murmured a quiet, “Thank you, Sir.”   
  
Still not the title of a Prince, but he’d take it. Crossing his arms, he looked the tiny bodies before him over, unsure how to propose his suggestion. With a stretch, he crouched to the ground as he shifted into his dragon form, stretching himself out as he connected to their minds - whilst whole-heartedly shutting the open connection to his own dragon - and said,  _ “I can bring you to the cities nearby, and ask if your parents have been seen or brought in for medical care. Flying is the fastest form of travel, unless you wish to teleport?” _

Clearly the kids had been schooled well-enough to know not to teleport with unfamiliar strangers, as Fenrir immediately shook his head. He then turned to his sister and leaned in to whisper something to her, but with his enhanced hearing, Loki could make out what they said. Something about him being the same as them, which confused Loki until he realized they must both be shapeshifters. He couldn’t help but be envious in a way. Shapeshifters were so uncommon on Asgard that it had taken 100 years of study for Loki to find any mention of them in Asgardian history.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he gave a feeling of reassurance across his telepathy to the kids, as best he could. Anthony did that with him moreso than he reciprocated, so it was mostly just attempting to mimic what he thought it felt like. The tension eased from their shoulders, however, so perhaps he could do it better than he thought.

“Okay,” they said, and Loki snorted and crouched down. 

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


Their parents were dead.

Well, technically Loki didn’t know that for sure, but when every single individual who responded to the prince’s call looked on the kids in pity, Loki wasn’t a fool. Ignoring the children, Loki stopped the first villager who had reacted to his telepathic signal to meet him as he landed. The villager took one look at the kids and muttered, “Those putrescent fools, too confident in their magics.” Loki had gestured for the man to continue and he exhaled, going into a vent on how the Hel and Fenrir’s parents were… adventure seekers, and one of the few people of Alfheim who wanted to document and study the fae. Occasionally, they’d ‘gotten it into their damned heads to  _ capture _ a fae.’

Loki couldn’t help but agree on the assessment of the parents. But the kids defended them, claiming that all they had left to do was observe a nest of magic-enhanced hawks. The looks had turned pitying then, and the man who Loki had pulled aside directed him to the nearest orphanage.

In the next moment, Loki once again did something without thinking through it. When the kids had pleaded, “Could we check?” Loki thought for barely a moment, just thinking of what he would be doing if he didn’t do that, and how good of a fight it would be to go up against some fae. And suddenly he craved it, the feeling of blood and sweat and fighting, on creatures no one would blink an eye at him killing.

So yet again, not understanding just what he was agreeing to, he agreed.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


He awoke to overwhelming waves of pain, and fright, and terror, and Tony knew Loki had done something astronomically obtuse. And clearly something  _ fatal  _ in its obtuseness. 

He scurried up in his cave, a sense of urgency he’d never felt before, something entirely primal, pushing him to act. He considered gathering weapons, but shook off the thought. He’d be faster, better, in his real form. He was still finishing transforming as he teleported beside Heimdall, easily blocking the attack Heimdall swung at him as he crouched before him, sending over a frantic series of messages,  _ “Find me Loki and send me to him, bring my mother here and collect Loki and I once I contact you to do so. Do not send others after us, they’ll be fucking dead, okay?” _

He appreciated that Heimdall only took a second to look in on Loki before nodding his assent and the Bifrost lit up with power. Within moments he’d been teleported onto the scene, eyes scanning his surroundings with fear clenching his stomach tight. His eyes alit upon Loki, knelt down and holding a wound together while also shielding himself and… two children? The children weren’t idle, both using rudimentary magical blasts to fend off the circling creatures: terrifying beasts a chimera of metal and flesh, some humanoid and others hawk-like or snake-like or boar-like. Not truly having enough time to process anything passed, friend vs. foe, he dove forward with a shrieking roar.

His fire easily drove off several of the creatures, but most stayed to continue against their vulnerable fae. Three mages and a dragon… All three would be appetizing to a predominant amount of the fae population on Alfheim. Tony had no intention to stay here. Gather his lover and these strange two children, and he would be back to Asgard. Catching sight of a break in the creatures, he dashed through, slashing at anything that appeared in his way. Upon reaching the edge of the shield he forced his way through, immediately summoning bands of gold to tie their hands down when they moved to attack him.

Meeting Loki’s eyes, he fought the urge to search through his magic to see what was hurting him, and summoned up a mix of metals to encase around the four of them and the area surrounding them. He shifted back to his half-form to scream, “Now, Heimdall, or I’ll get you a new pair of-”

The four of them got shook around inside his little enclosed space, but he didn’t care. It kept them together, and they’d all survive it. As the colors faded, Tony crouched beside Loki, reaching out with his magic to examine what was draining him so thoroughly, but Loki put a firm wall between their magics. Head snapping up, Tony snarled, “Now is  _ so  _ not the fucking time to get prissy about me examining you, you absolute motherfuck.”

Loki’s fucked up eyes, one eye showing flicks of red in the green the way Tony’s always did, met his and he grit out, “The curse is soaking up my Seiðr, and it could do the same to you, so for once keep your forsaken magic in your own mind.”

The small part of Tony not consumed in worry wanted to bristle at that, but he couldn’t process much over the worry. Suddenly Seassi and Frigga were kneeling next to him, Frigga shouting something about healers, while Tony examined him for any more physical wounds. Coming up with nothing, he looked again at his side, blood mixed with a sickly looking grey magic. His mouth reached to press her hand against it, but Loki slapped her hand away, panting. Frigga turned to him and asked, as calmly as she could, “Could you transport him to the healers? I do not want to risk anyone teleporting him right now.”   
  
With a growl he shifted again, and damn, he was going to be starving after this. Summoning his saddle, he let their mothers’s load Loki onto him and strap him down. With no time to waste, he said,  _ “Don’t let go.”  _ Then shot into the sky.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  
  


“We’re sorry,” he heard from behind him.

Twisting around from where he had been sitting, alert, in front of the healer’s suite, Tony saw the two children from before. He supposed he could ask them for answers, as the two clearly knew more than he did, and his bond had been shut down so communicating with Loki was impossible right now.

Tilting his head to the side, he asked,  _ “What for?” _

The girl’s face gave little a while, eerily impassive for what couldn’t have been over 200-year-old Elves, but the boy with slightly visible fangs shrunk in on himself, kicking at the ground. After fidgeting around some more, he explained, “We… underestimated them.”   
  
Tony couldn’t help his snort, as he shifted back to half-form, easier to talk like this with creatures who couldn’t communicate telepathically in return, “Well, you’re kids. That’s fine, you’re supposed to think you’re invincible. I don’t even know what you were trying to do, but what I do know is my dumbass prince should have known where to stick his perky ass and where not to. A group of fae? Not it.”

The little girl shrugged, voice near silent, “We convinced him to-”   
  
“Let me be blunt with you for a second, you didn’t convince him of jackshit. Loki is never convinced into shit. I don’t know what you asked of him, but he had his own reasons for following through on it, not just what you two offered,” he snarked, shaking his head. With a sigh, he asked, “What did you want with the fae though?”   
  
Tony did not expect the following outburst at all, but it was easy enough to understand, even as the tiny boy began to cry, curling in on himself during it. He somehow stuttered out a broken up story about how the fae had killed their parents, and they’d wanted to see for themselves, and Tony couldn’t help the way his heart broke listening to it. Quietly attaching his mind to both the kids, he sent a wave of reassurance and hope, startling when the girl’s eyes snapped to his.

“The prince, he did that too,” she said, and Tony gave a broken laugh.

“Yeah, he learned it for me, though between you and me, he’s pretty shitty at it.”

The girl cracked a small smile, and Tony sighed, playing with his tail, before looking up at the kids, at the still sobbing boy and eyes-watering little girl. He reached for Loki’s presence until he remembered he  _ couldn’t.  _ He choked out a wounded noise, leaning back and closing his eyes. He sat for a moment, until eventually he asked, “Do you have a place to stay for the night?”

When neither reacted, he took that for a no and held his hand out to them. “Come ‘ere. You can stay at our place until you Loki wakes up and we know what to do with you.”

Both looked at one another, eyes showing the caution and hurt swirling within, before placing their hands in his grasp. Without another word, he teleported them to his cave, determined to help these kids while he waits for Loki to wake up.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

  
  


It was only after they’d gotten to his room, and with his true form laid eyes upon them, that he realized.

_ “Ah, you two… you’re?” _   
  
The eloquence of his statement earned him an uneasy smile, even as Hel nodded. Her mind flashed with images of cold wasteland and glowing lines hidden in blue.

_ “Is that why you went with him?” _   
  
This time Fenrir answered, “Kinda. It was easier to trust him. We were taught how to sense it.”

_ “He doesn’t know.” _

“We know. It’s fine. We won’t say anything.”

_ “Alright. And you know to keep it on the down-low here? Asgardians aren’t the most friendly to people in blue birthday suits.” _

Hel smiled, bitter and pained, “Keep it a secret from everyone who doesn’t already know.”

Rumbling in acknowledgment, he curled them up to him, placing a spell over himself to make himself immobile, before licking their faces. The shrieks were enough for him to appreciate what Loki saw in these two, he thinks.

  
  


~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~ 

  
  


Asgardians were tough, tough enough that most illnesses or injuries could not keep them down for long. Loki had never woken up as drowsy as he felt right now. It took him several minutes to become aware of his surroundings, and his seiðr wasn’t spreading out, picking up and reporting on the people and things in his surroundings as it always did. The panic built until the moment that he was able to open his eyes, and all he saw looking over him was Seassi.

She leaned back comfortably, sharp purple eyes lazy in their path over his body, her tail flicking loosely between her legs. She’d clearly been there a while, and Loki started to grow nervous about how long he’d been out. His seiðr was slow to react to his directions, and he couldn’t establish a mental connection with her to ask her questions.

“Hello, Lady Seassi,” he croaked out and sighed when she conjured up water for him. So a while, for his throat to be so dry. He sipped the water, looking for any kind of expression on her face. Most he saw was wrinkled eyebrows, which gave little indication to her opinion. Eventually, she shifted forward, resting her arms across her lap.

“I don’t suppose you wanna explain why your concept of a good idea post-major-argument with my son is to go running, do you?”

Loki winced, just realizing what he’d done… But, he hadn’t been the only one, “ _ Your  _ son left too, Seassi.”

She sighed, “I won’t say I’m not disappointed in him for that, but it’s beside the point. Mostly because he didn’t go far, or do anything dangerous. He went to a place he could get some space at. But look, whatever, what I’m more curious about is why you went to Alfheim? Was it just to run? The kids said you found them in my house.”

Loki grunted, putting up all the mental shields he could manage. Norns,  _ why  _ was he so sluggish. “Since you mentioned it, are they safe? Hel and Fenrir, I wasn’t sure if you all knew their role in the matter.”

For the first time since the conversation started, Seassi cracked a smile, “Oh, they’re fine. You might have a hard time getting rid of them now, though. Everyone’s been taken with them.” At Loki’s sigh, she giggled, then sat up and shook herself off. “Look, before my kid realizes you’re awake, I did want to ask. What did you go all the way to Alfheim for?”

Loki didn’t answer. At the time, he’d only been intending to ask her for the scale filled with her magic she’d originally promised him nearly 3 centuries ago, but now that he couldn’t insist that it was too urgent, he knew he wouldn’t get away without questions. Eventually he shrugged, and answered the bare minimum, “I was intending to ask for the scale.” Her eyes bore into him, and he was annoyed by how much it affected him. Loki prided himself on his ability to be unaffected by most people’s opinions on him.

Finally she sighed, then lifted the bag for him to see, “Well, first of all, you just got your favor. It took days to heal that moment of severe stupidity. Second of all, Tony found this when he searched your dimensional pockets. When I asked what was inside, he just said he found a book on dragon-bonding. So I have a question for you.”   
  
Loki braced himself.

“Were you, or were you not, intending to break your bond with my son?”   
  
Loki bit his lip, but bit out, “No.”

Seassi groaned, “Great, now I gotta psychoanalyze you  _ more,  _ you stubborn bastard. ‘Least your mental shields are down.”

With a grimace Loki began, “Would you explain why that-”   
  
“Nope, no, we’re dealing with your emotional incompetence first. Tony’ll explain that later when he verbally tears your balls off.” With a huff, he resigned himself to listening for the time being.

Seassi’s claws  **clacked ** against the arm-rest of the chair as she chewed through her words, until eventually she exhaled, “So, your plan was to ask me for magic-infused scale, then research if it was even  _ possible  _ to break those bonds without, say, killing each other. And I know you weren’t planning to let my son die if it wasn’t, because if you were, I can and will render your vital organs to paste after dragging you through the fires of hell-dogs,” and she grinned her canined-grin, unsettling eyes narrowing just slightly. She laughed at the slight flash of fear he felt, because damn, without magic he was much too vulnerable for a beast of her strength.

Then she sighed, “Now, look, highness. If you truly don’t want to be bound anymore, we can do that. There  _ are  _ ways, though it requires both sides to be in agreement, and will leave scars on both parties, as any split does. But the last thing I want is my son in an unhappy bond. But, I get the feeling you only want this because you’re frightened.”

Loki glanced down, tapping his fingers against the blanket pulled against him, “It is more that I do not know what to do.”

She nodded, “We didn’t exactly give you a formal education on the matter. Perhaps we should have, though I can’t imagine how anyone would have wanted to mention that to you. ‘Hey, Princey, we gotta teach you how to have dragon sex. And how to shut off your constant telepathy. And casually mention that you’re basically closer than any married couple and should be aware that most dragons will court their bonded for their entire lives.’ As if an elf is going to wanna tell you that, and my son isn’t the most… aware.” She sighed, running a hand down her horns and moving the tapped rhythm to them as she thought. “So, and trust me, I get how fucking awkward a question this is, but do you wanna be with my son? Like, courting and sharing lives and all that? You don’t have to do that, you know. It’s not a requirement, but it’s hard to get around.”

Loki sat for a moment, fighting to get the words from his mind, let alone out of his mouth, “I am… not entirely sure. Yes, but I cannot help but assume the bond has something to do with it.”

She laughed, bright and excited, “Of course it does, kid. You  _ share your thoughts, _ there’s no way to not inherently feel closer to that person than anyone else. So yes, of course it plays a role. I’m not asking if in any situation you’d wanna do that, because we don’t know what you would do with an entirely different lot in life. I’m asking if in this situation that you’re currently in, you would want to. If you do, then tell Tony that, I’m begging you. The less I hear about his romantic life the better.”

Suddenly the door burst open, and Loki jumped into position, reaching for his daggers, which ignored his summons. The door opened to reveal a jovial Anthony with a smiling Hel riding on his head and pretending to steer him with them, Fenrir running behind them clinging to Anthony’s tail. Loki gawked, sincerely bewildered, even as Anthony set them both down on the bed and turned to him. Anthony gazed down at him, eyes scrutinizing every part of him, seiðr trailing in their wake and examining his very magical core. Muttering something unintelligible, he placed a hand on Loki’s chest and a warmth of seiðr rushed through him, and Loki groaned as his body greedily absorbed it.

Loki took in his dragon, abruptly realizing just what his efforts would have lost him, and he flushed with shame. He turned away, looking to the small children sitting on his bed, looking upon him with regret lining their little faces. He reached his hands out, and Hel, put her hand in his with her lips twisted in perplexment, just as he gave a shock of magic to her. She squealed, snatching her hand back with a growl, her face shouting her upset, and Loki couldn’t help his chuckle.

“You seemed concerned, and I wanted to show that I was alright, both physically and magically,” he explained, and Hel huffed.

“And not mentally?”

Shrugging, Loki sat up more, running a hand through his hair and straightening it with magic, only pausing when Anthony grabbed his hand. He looked up at him, and Anthony laughed, “Only you would use borrowed magic to straighten your hair, Lo.”

  
  
  


Loki continued on, entirely nonplussed, “Well, I am a Prince. Appearance upkeep is important.”

A snigger caught his attention, and he was surprised to see it come from Fenrir. All things considered, the kids were doing much better than he thought they would be, laughing and grinning. Almost disconcertingly, but perhaps they were in denial still. He would need to look into that, and see why they were still here in the first place. 

Fenrir gave a sheepish grin, and said, “Well, when Prince Thor came back from his hunt after he heard you were hurt, he looked pretty funny. There was mud in his hair and a large gash up his left arm.”

Loki sniffed, “And that is why Thor misses court sessions to hunt. He never has learned how to do any sort of upkeep, aside from his muscles.”

“But what muscles they are,” Anthony mocked, and just sniggered when Loki shot him a look.

“Well,” Seassi said, grabbing both kids and moving them to the door, “I’m going to leave Tony here to ream you, I’ll just take these two for the time being.”

Loki expected an awkward silence after Seassi blinked out of the room, so he was bracing himself to break it, but then Anthony was next to him, and Loki glanced up at him. Given how happy he had been just a moment ago, the burning anger shocked him. Anthony glared him down until he chuffed and crawled onto the bed, planting himself firmly on his lap.

“Imma just get this rant out, the one I’ve been thinking of for the entire  _ 5 nights  _ you were unconscious, because otherwise, I won’t be able to talk to you.” He tapped his hands against the scales Loki had embedded in his chest, such a familiar action that Loki could have relaxed into those hands immediately if it hadn’t been for the throbbing anger he could feel from Anthony, now that his magic has recovered enough to connect to the bond again.

“So,” he said, planting his hands on Loki’s chest,” I really want to know what the fuck you were thinking. For fucking real, Lokes, because you decided attacking a group of almost immortal magical beings would be fun! Like what the fuck were you expecting? Three young mages were basically a feast handed on a platter to a horde of fae. And you just went right in there! Because of two little kids you don’t know? Nah, I know you didn’t entirely do it for the kids, though I get maybe why you liked them enough to consider it. They’re pretty cute, and stupidly similar to you. Look, doesn’t matter, point is, you thought you could just take on a horde of fae! And look, I get you want me in your head less, but if you want that, you better tell me before you do this shit, next time, you absolute cocksplitter. If you wanted a fight, you could’ve gotten it elsewhere. I don’t even get the thought process. People don’t survive a group of fae, you fucking-”

“Your mother did,” he interrupted, not appreciating all the yelling, even if he got it was out of worry. But instead of calming him, Anthony’s eyes lit up, nostrils flaring a bit of fire.

  
  


“Oh? Did she now? That’s right, you met her after she fought some fae and elves, huh? Well, Lokes, did she ever tell you how she survived?” Giving no chance for Loki to respond, Anthony leaned in, putting their foreheads together, “The fae were distracted by the elves, and she ran away to the sound of their sobs as they got their magic and very life-force drained out of them, then fed to the lower-ranking faeries. So I will say it again, you do not ever fight fae, but especially not without me there, you damned dolt.”

With the end of his sentence, he moved his head to Loki’s shoulder, resting there as he finished gathering himself. Inhaling deeply, he breathed against Loki’s ear, “Thanks for living long enough for me to get you.”

Clearing his throat, Loki decided now would be a good time to get the story from him. “So, I understand I was unconscious for some time… Would you please explain it to me?”

Tony straightened and groaned, “Yeah, okay, recount time. Your dumbass got hit by a cursed blade, it started like, leaking your seiðr from you. Would have kept going until it hit your life-force and drained that too, but I felt the moment you were hit. Disturbingly luckily, your leaking seiðr could be absorbed by Hel and Fenrir, and they used it to defend you until I got there. I got you all back here, and they took you away to… somehow figure out how to seal up your seiðr. Healers and my mum did it, but it took a long while, and your magic drained almost entirely by the time they did it. Technically, you could wake up then, but they kept you asleep so you wouldn’t expend any seiðr while it built up. As you can see, it’s going to take a while, given a full 5 days of rest got you the bare minimum. You’re lucky you have me to keep feeding you it, or it’d take longer.”

As he said this, he once again placed his hand over Loki’s chest and another rush of seiðr flowed into, spreading around his entire core. The feeling was indescribable in its relief.

Loki took this all in silently, unsure what to really do at this point. He could admit that he made an error of judgment, but it didn’t change much. In the end, he carded his hands over his dragon’s arms, using some of his minimal magic to link up their minds to send a feeling of appreciation.

Anthony laughed, “Still can’t say thank you, darling? Fine, you’re welcome. The kids thank you, by the way. You’ll probably get a thank you from them later,” and his grin tipped toward the mischievous as he said that, enough to make Loki both dread and anticipate whatever game Anthony had convinced them to be part of.

For a moment the silence Loki had initially foreseen hit them, but it was less awkward than it could have been. Loki still had inquiries to make, and Anthony certainly couldn’t tell him what had happened in court during his absence, or tell him his prognosis for recovery. For a moment, however, it was comfortable to just… rest here together, the way they might in the morning.

After a few moments, Anthony began to fidget, fisting the sheet he sat over, eventually sighing and looking up at him. “So, I make it a goal to not listen to my mother much, but,” he started, then didn’t finish as he leaned over and chastely kissed him on the mouth.

Loki blinked. It had been a while, not long after meeting Anthony, since he’d kissed anyone.

When Loki gave no reaction, Anthony laughed weirdly, “So, mum told me that you’d gone to Alfheim to look into bond relationships. Gonna guess you saw that it’s pretty common for us to be lovers?” At his nod, Anthony smiled thinly, “I’m going to be the big boy and say I’ve wanted to do that from the get-go. I mean, I literally called you attractive when we met? But you didn’t seem to have much inclination for that, and pushed away a lot of my friendly affection. So I figured you didn’t want that. But it seems maybe you just… didn’t know if we should? Could? I don’t know, please shut me up, I should never be the adult in the room.”

Loki blinked again, a chuckle bubbling from his lips as he considered how his life choices had led him  _ here,  _ sincerely wishing to kiss a creature with a tail swishing across the ground and razor claws clipped just enough to not puncture skin. “That is true. I’ve never seen you pretend to be an adult with good results,” and just chuckled more at the glare he received. He tugged Anthony down, locking lips and not bothering to remain chaste, enjoying the groan he got in thanks.

He pulled away with the feeling of a burden having lessened greatly. Anthony still looked unsure, but seemed to grow more confident when not met with any more rebuke. Still, he clearly felt the need to mention, “We can take this casually, try out fucking once or twice, see where that leads us.”   
  
Loki shook his head, then connected mentally again to say,  _ “I’m not sure anything between us could be casual, my dragon.”  _

Anthony shrugged and said back,  _ “Probably not, but hey, I can give you some reassurance or something.”  _ He was quiet for just a moment, then lit up, “Oh! We can try bonded sex, I’ve heard that’s amazing.”

Loki rolled his eyes, “From who? Crooning romanticists?” Anthony only smirked, shaking his head.

“Nope, the books themselves say it. Something to do with shared sensations…” he trailed a claw down the prince’s side, and Loki couldn’t help his shiver. Before anything more happened, he pulled back and sighed, “But, before any of that, we gotta make plans for where the kids will stay.”

Loki raised his eyebrows, and wondered, “You’ve been caring for them?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding his head a few extra times and sighing, “they haven’t had the easiest time, obviously. And I needed someone to focus on, or I’d go insane with all the silence of you being gone,” he gestured to his head. “So I took them home with me. So uh, if you’re concerned about heirs…” he trailed off, eyes twinkling, and Loki scoffed.

“We will not be keeping them, they need actual parents,” Loki retorted, face daring him to disagree. Anthony just grinned some more, and Loki sighed. “You cannot adopt children for me while I’m asleep, Anthony.”

Anthony shrugged, smile never fading, “I might not be able to, but you’re mother can,” and cackled at Loki’s horrified expression. He stood up and took Loki’s hand, pulling him up on shaky legs. “Come on, I’ll introduce you guys again, then we can pawn them off on your mom and we can have some fun.” With a wink, he blinked them across the palace.

**Author's Note:**

> Part two of this includes: Thor 1, Tony and Loki moving to earth, meeting pepper and rhodey and ALL THE FUN of being on earth and faking being human to the public eye. And Avengers 1! 
> 
> Find me on Tumblr at https://whuhappun.tumblr.com/ and on discord at Bin of Sin (Chouko/Asher)#9152 .


End file.
